New Doors Boost Grain Bin Safety

New Doors Boost Grain Bin Safety CROP STORAGE Grain Storage Grain bin manufacturer Sukup says its new door for bins is a big step toward improving bin safety “There have been incidents where farmers didn’t shut the inner panels before closing and latching the outer panels ” says John Hanig Sukup grain bin sales director “The outer panel is just a thin sheet to keep the weather away from the inner panels ” The inner panels support the structural integrity of the bin “What happens is as they start filling the bin the grain starts to leak out ” Hanig says “The outer door will bow because it can’t take the weight Farmers see the grain leaking get curious and when they open the door they can get buried in a wall of grain ” He says the company worked for over a year trying to find a solution to the problem Farmers know when they pull the inner panels shut there are handles to pull down to lock them in place Hanig says the handles used to catch on a permanent piece mounted on the outside of the bin “We did away with all the external latching ” Hanig says “These handles each have a little tab that faces directly at you when they’re closed There’s a slot in the outer door the tab goes through “That’s what the latch will grab onto ” he says “It provides the catch for the outer latch That part we didn’t change “If that handle is flipped up and that lever isn’t facing toward you then there’s nothing to latch the outer door ” he says “When you figure out something’s wrong you open the outer door and see you forgot to latch or close either one ” In other words the doors have new hardware that ensures the inner panels are closed before the outer door will close correctly with both latches engaged Inner panels of Sukup’s 44-in and 66-in tall doors both of which use the new safety hardware provide structural support to grain bins Safety doors are sold through the Sukup dealer network and locations are available on the company website Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Hanig Sukup P O Box 677 1555 255th St Sheffield Iowa 50475 ph 641-892-4222; info@sukup com; www sukup com

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